Financial_Counseling_Provider_(Addendum_#5_Revision).pdf

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

2023-RFP-272

FINANCIAL COUNSELING PROVIDER

City of Pittsburgh

City-County Building

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

RELEASE DATE: December 22, 2023

DEADLINE FOR QUESTIONS: February 5, 2024

RESPONSE DEADLINE: February 12, 2024, 5:00 pm

RESPONSES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO:

https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/pittsburghpa https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/%7bproject.government.code%7d

City of Pittsburgh

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Financial Counseling Provider

I. Introduction II. Instructions to Bidders

III. Scope of Work IV. Proposal Format Requirements V. Evaluation Phases

VI. Equal Opportunity Review Commission Terms VII. Award and Contract

VIII. General Terms & Conditions IX. Miscellaneous Requirements X. Vendor Questionnaire

Attachments:

A - Exhibit B Model for FEC

B - Selecting A Financial Counseling Provider (2)

Request for Proposal #2023-RFP-272 Title: Financial Counseling Provider

1. Introduction

1.1. Summary

On behalf of the Office of Financial Empowerment, the City of Pittsburgh, Office of Management and

Budget is soliciting proposals for up to two qualified and experienced Financial Counseling

Providers. Our goal is to deliver comprehensive financial counseling services to city residents. The City recognizes the importance of promoting financial well-being and believes that providing access to professional financial counseling can significantly enhance financial education and overall financial health.

Our intention is to ensure that all City of Pittsburgh residents feel safe, welcome, and have the tools to thrive.

1.2. Background

The City is looking to partner with up to two qualified community organization(s) to develop and operate the FEC. The Financial Empowerment Center model provides free, professional, one-on-one financial counseling and coaching to residents. The City of Pittsburgh, with support from the Cities for

Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund, will increase the number of Financial Empowerment Center providers as a key public service to support financially vulnerable residents.

As part of the Financial Empowerment Center model, the City is looking to partner with two qualified community organization(s) to develop and operate the FEC, including the responsibilities related to the delivery of financial counseling, supervising financial counselors, database operations, community partnerships, and program deliverables.

The City will consider proposals from organizations with demonstrated ability to implement high-volume, quality, one-on-one financial counseling services to residents in the City of Pittsburgh. The nonprofit provider(s) will be expected to utilize and potentially enhance the existing referral systems with a range of other programs and organizations to drive traffic to the FEC, as well as be responsive to potential strategic partnerships initiated by the Office of Financial Empowerment to ensure that goals are being met.

1.3. Contact Information

Jessie Nusser

Sourcing Specialist

414 Grant St

Suite 502

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Email: jessica.nusser@pittsburghpa.gov

Phone: (412) 255-2458

Department:

Mayor's Office mailto:jessica.nusser@pittsburghpa.gov tel:(412)255-2458

1.4. Timeline

The following represents the tentative schedule for this project. Any change in the scheduled dates for the Pre Proposal Conference (if applicable), Deadline for Submission of Written Questions, or Proposal

Submission Deadline will be advertised in the form of an addendum to this RFP. The schedule for the evaluation process and other future dates may be adjusted without notice.

RFP Released December 22, 2023

Pre-Proposal Meeting (Non-Mandatory) January 29, 2024, 9:00am

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held in the

Learning Lab conference room located on the 6th floor of the City County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Attendees should use the elevators located on the Grant Street side of the building to access the 6th floor.

This meeting will also be held via Microsoft Teams.

Please use the RSVP Manager to sign up for the meeting- you will be sent the Teams Link the morning of the meeting.

Question Submission Deadline February 5, 2024, 3:00pm

Proposal Submission Deadline February 12, 2024, 5:00pm

Proposal Review and Supplier Scoring February 2024

Contract Award February 2024

2. Instructions to Bidders

2.1. Submittal Requirements

All proposals must be submitted electronically. No proposal shall be accepted in person, by U.S. Mail, by private courier service, via oral or email communication, telephone or fax transmission.

Respondents are required to provide one (1) electronic copy of their proposal in either MS Word or PDF by the submission deadline.

If additional hard copies are requested, the proposal should be bound or contained in a loose leaf binder. Document pages shall be 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches in size or folded to such a size. Use section dividers, tabbed in accordance with this Section as specified below. All proposals will need to be provided electronically so the following format will apply for the electronic submittal through the

Beacon website.

2.2. Additional Submission Considerations

Late proposals will not be accepted or considered. Respondents should allow enough time to register company on the City's e-Procurement Portal, search the solicitation they wish to respond to and complete the submission process online before the deadline.

The City of Pittsburgh shall not be responsible for proposals delivered to a person or location other than that specified herein.

All submittals, whether selected or rejected, shall become the property of the City of Pittsburgh and will not be returned.

All costs associated with proposal preparation shall be borne by the applicant.

3. Scope of Work

3.1. Financial Empowerment Center Provider

Financial Empowerment Center Provider

The contractor shall provide day-to-day management (the "Work") by the following terms and conditions:

• Identify and hire a Program Manager to oversee the financial counseling and coaching delivery and serve as the primary contact between the Provider and the City.

o Monitor the work of the financial counselors, including but not limited to service delivery, counselor training, Code of Ethics adherence, data entry, and progress toward target outcome achievements.

• Identify existing staff or hire, supervise, and retain two (2) full-time financial counselors by the end of year one and build to three (3) full-time financial counselors with appropriate supervision by year two.

• The primary administrative office must be located within the limits of the City of

Pittsburgh.

• Co-locate offices with our ecosystem referral partners in High and Extreme-need communities as identified by the below link to the Allegheny County Community Needs

Map and approved by the City -https://alcogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=095b39af79d3483 bbcd37418db2fb2e1 . This will provide easier access for residents based in these neighborhoods.

• Ensure counseling can be conducted privately or semi-privately, allowing counselor-client information and conversations to be held confidentially.

• The contractor shall make counseling available full-time with hours of operation at each location subject to review and approval by the City.

• Shall implement the FEC initiative in accordance with the CFE Fund's model requirements, including but not limited to free one-on-one counseling, integration with a range of services, counselor training based on the CFE Fund's training standards, and active partnership with the City to manage the work.

• Use the Financial Empowerment Center database ("FECBOT") exclusively. Ensure that all counselors maintain rigorous client confidentiality.

https://alcogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=095b39af79d3483bbcd37418db2fb2e1 https://alcogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=095b39af79d3483bbcd37418db2fb2e1

• Ensure the Program Manager and counselors participate in CFE training and professional development opportunities.

• Demonstrate experience conducting effective client outreach using multiple marketing and outreach tools.

o Develop joint marketing collateral for review and approval by the City. The City retains final approval.

• Plan and execute no fewer than six (6) community-focused workshops implemented every other month of the calendar year.

• Plan and execute an outreach strategy to proactively encourage our target demographic to utilize the FEC services to educate and improve their financial health.

• When applicable, participate in learning community activities with FEC staff members, including sharing accomplishments, best practices, and lessons learned with the broader field. Prepare annual budget for review and approval by the City.

The City and Contractor shall jointly perform the following in accordance with the following terms and conditions:

• Develop Referral Partner recruitment and convening plan.

• Develop a marketing strategy.

• Develop a community engagement plan with our targeted demographic with an equity lens, specifically centering residents of extreme and high-need neighborhoods as identified by the Allegheny County Neighborhood Needs Map, returning citizens, single-parent households, and youth 14-18, young adults 19-30, as well as members of our immigrant and refugee community within the categories mentioned above.

• Attend bi-monthly meetings with the City representatives and CFE to provide updates or identify any challenges involving the work of the FEC, its counselors, and partners.

3.2. Anticipated Timing

• Buildout Phase (up to 6 months) - All efforts to prepare for the opening of the FEC, including hiring and training, CFE certification of staff, finalizing partnership agreement, and designing marketing and operations.

• Implementation Phase (18 months) Offering services and meeting outcomes

3.3. Funding Requirements

• The Respondents must provide evidence of suitable financial resources, including payroll, office equipment, office location, etc., for the contract period to ensure the achievement of outcomes during the contract performance period.

• Respondents have to show that their existing financial counseling programs are sustainable.

• Respondent is responsible for fundraising to sustain their offices for the contract period.

3.4. Criteria

• The contractor must be a 501(c)3 Nonprofit. Please provide a copy of the IRS

Recognition of Exemption letter. (This is the letter indicating your IRS nonprofit status).

• The contractor must show proof of sustainable funding through the duration of the contract (18 months).

• The contractor must have a minimum of 2 years of financial counseling experience.

• The contractor must have experience working with our Targeted Demographic.

• The contractor must have experience conducting client outreach using multiple marketing and outreach tools.

• The contractor must have experience with data tracking and reporting.

4. Proposal Format Requirements

4.1. Response Format

All submitted responses shall follow the formatting below, and all proposals must be provided electronically through the City's e-Procurement Portal. Each numbered section is to be uploaded as a separate file. If hard copies of submissions are required, each numbered section shall be a removable tab. Document pages shall be 8-1/2 inches by 11 inches in size or folded to such a size.

Response to Scope

Firm’s Qualifications, Experience, and References

Describe the firm and provide a statement of the firm’s qualifications for providing the scope of services as identified in the Scope of Work section, as well as the information detailed in the attached documents. Identify the services that your firm’s staff would complete and those that would be supplied by sub-consultants, if any. Identify any sub-consultants you proposed to utilize to supplement your firm’s staff.

A summary of the firm’s experience in providing these services. Provide at least three references for related projects, including dates, contact person, phone number, email, and a brief description of the project or scope of work.

Qualifications of Project Team

Provide a summary of the qualifications and experience of each team member assigned to this project, including length of service with the firm and resume/bio, and the qualifications /experience of any sub-consultant staff on your project team.

Mandatory Documentation

Provide required documentation as outlined in the Documentation section of the RFP.

Project Approach and Plan

Provide a detailed discussion of your firm’s approach to completing the scope of services outlined in this

RFP. Include a thorough discussion of methodologies you believe are essential to accomplishing this project or completing the scope of services. Include a proposed work schedule to accomplish all required tasks within the desired timeline. Identify the staff roles assigned to each major task, including sub-consultants.

Cost Proposal

Provide a total cost proposal for all services to be delivered, and a breakdown of costs delineated by major phase and/or deliverable as described in your project plan. Include a schedule of hourly rates and/or annual salary for all proposed staff and the amount of time each person will be devoted to this project.

PLEASE NOTE: The City does not agree to late fees, penalties, interest, attorney’s fees, or other contingent liability. In no event shall the City be liable for special, indirect, incidental, reliance, lost profits, or other business interest damages.

Demonstration of Good Faith Effort

Include statements of assurance regarding the following requirements detailed in the Equal Opportunity section of this solicitation:

A. Solicit certified MBE/WBE/Veteran-Owned companies for various service categories where opportunities exist to subcontract within their company’s business model.

B. Complete the MWDBEVOSB Commitment Form to document good faith effort. Please provide a scope of services to be delivered by each subcontractor. If a subcontractor is not chosen, a justification is required describing why services could not be rendered by a sub-contractor.

C. Provide email documentation of solicitation correspondence with MBE/WBE/Veteran-Owned companies.

Failure to include all of the elements specified may be cause for rejection. Additional information may be provided but should be succinct and relevant to the goals of this RFP. Excessive information will not be considered favorably.

5. Evaluation Phases

Selection Procedure

Your Proposal will be evaluated by a Proposal Committee comprised of the Director or other supervisor of the Using Department, one or more members of the Director’s staff, at least one member of the

Office of Management & Budget and any other department representatives as deemed necessary.

Submittals will be reviewed for responsiveness, and responsive submittals will further be screened by a selection committee in accordance with the criteria listed below. The firm(s) submitting the highest rated proposal may be invited for interviews.

No. Evaluation Criteria Scoring Method Weight (Points)

1. Firm’s Qualifications, Experience and

References

Vendor response demonstrated that the firm has the experience and capabilities to successfully perform the scope of services, including providing references for clients of similar size and scope.

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

2. Qualifications of Project Team

Vendor response provided a brief summary of the qualifications and experience of each team member assigned to this project, including length of service with the firm and resume/bio, and the qualifications /experience of any sub-consultant staff on your project team.

Points Based 10 (10% of Total)

3. Project Approach and Plan

Vendor response demonstrated a firm understanding of the scope of services, the response included thorough and complete responses to the items outlined in the Section

4, and the vendor has the appropriate expertise, procedures, and methods in place to perform the scope of services.

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

4. Cost Proposal

Vendor response provided a total cost proposal for all services to be delivered, a breakdown of costs delineated by major phase and/or a schedule of hourly rates.

Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

5. History of Work

Vendors response provided the history of working within the targeted populations:

Returning Citizens, Extreme/High-Needs neighborhoods, Youth 14-18, Young Adults 19-

30, and Single-Parent Households.

Points Based 15 (15% of Total)

6. MWDBE/VOSB Good Faith Effort

Vendor response was detailed and demonstrated clear Good Faith Effort to obtain

MWDBE & VOSB Participation.

Points Based 25 (25% of Total)

6. Equal Opportunity Review Commission Terms

6.1. MWE/DBE

The City of Pittsburgh is committed to the ideal of providing all citizens an equal opportunity to participate in City and its Authorities' contracting opportunities. It is therefore the City's goal to encourage increased participation of women and minority groups in all City contracts. The City requires that all respondents demonstrate good faith efforts to obtain the participation of Minority-Owned

Business Enterprises (MBE's) and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (WBE's) in work to be performed under City contracts. The levels of MBE and WBE participation will be monitored by the City of

Pittsburghs Equal Opportunity Review Commission (EORC). In order to ensure that there are opportunities for historically disadvantaged minority groups and women to participate on Covered

Contracts, and consistent with the City's current equal employment opportunity practice and goals, the

EORC will review contracts to include an evaluation of a developer/contractors employment of minority groups and women, encourage goals of eighteen (18) percent and seven (7) percent respectively.

6.2. Veteran-Owned and LGBTQIA+ Small Business Goals

It is also the City's goal to encourage participation by veteran-owned and LGBTQIA+ small businesses in all contracts. The City of Pittsburgh shall have an annual goal of not less than five (5) percent participation by veteran-owned small businesses and not less than three (3) percent participation by

LGBTQIA+ businesses in all contracts. The participation goal shall apply to the overall dollar amount expended with respect to the contracts. The City requires that all respondents demonstrate good faith efforts to obtain the participation of veteran-owned small business in work to be performed under City contracts. The levels of participation will be monitored by the City of Pittsburgh’s EORC.

6.3. Good Faith Commitment

In order to demonstrate good faith commitment to these goals, all respondents are required to complete and submit with their bids the attached MWDBE/Veteran-Owned/LGBTQIA+ Solicitation and

Commitment Form (which details the efforts made by the respondents to obtain such participation).

Failure to submit a properly completed form along with documentation of Good Faith Commitment may result in rejection of the bid. Participants are encouraged to contact the Equal Opportunity Review

Commission at 412-255-8804 to assist further. For further information, including definitions and additional requirements, please see Chapter 177A (Sections 177A.01 et. seq.) of the City Code and

Section 161.40 of the City Code.

7. Award and Contract

7.1. Award

After the City has received all Proposals and conducted its initial Evaluation, described above, the

Proposal Committee may invite one or more Respondents to a follow-up interview to further discuss their Proposal(s).

The Proposal Committee may decide to accept the Proposal of one or more Respondents. It may decide to reject all proposals. Once a Proposal is accepted, the contract negotiation process will commence.

This RFP and your response to it, in the form of your entire Proposal, will become part of the Contract. If a real or apparent conflict should arise between this RFP/Proposal and other language contained in the final Contract, the language of the final Contract shall control.

7.2. Contracting Process

Successful Respondents will be required to enter into a Contract with the City of Pittsburgh, contingent upon the approval of City Council. This Contract will be directed and managed by the issuing department and the Office of Management & Budget.

Work cannot commence on the Scope of the RFP until it a contract is fully executed. The City cannot process invoices nor approve payments until this Contract has been fully executed by the Respondent and all required City signatories, including the issuing department, the Law Department, and the City

Controller.

City laws and policies mandate the incorporation of various custom terms and conditions into all City contracts. For this reason the City will not sign any standard contract proffered by the respondent.

An agreement shall not be binding or valid with the City unless and until it is fully executed by authorized representatives of the City and of the Proposer. Once the Contract is fully executed the City will notify Respondent in writing and give the order to proceed.

8. General Terms & Conditions

8.1. Examination of Proposal Documents

A. The submission of a proposal shall be deemed a representation and certification by the

Respondent that they:

1. Have carefully read and fully understand the information that was provided by the City to serve as the basis for submission of the proposal.

2. Have the capability to successfully undertake and complete the responsibilities and obligations of the proposal being submitted.

3. Represent that all information contained in the proposal is true and correct.

4. Did not, in any way, collude; conspire to agree, directly or indirectly, with any person, firm, corporation or other proposer in regard to the amount, terms or conditions of this proposal.

5. Acknowledge that the City has the right to make any inquiry it deems appropriate to substantiate or supplement information supplied by a proposer, and proposer hereby grants the City permission to make these inquiries, and to provide any and all related documentation in a timely manner.

B. No request for modification of the proposal shall be considered after its submission on the grounds that the proposer was not fully informed to any fact or condition.

8.2. RFP Term

Respondent’s proposal shall remain firm and effective, subject to the City’s review and approval, for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days from the closing date for the receipt of proposals.

The City may enter into negotiations with one or more Respondents during the one hundred twenty

(120) day period during which all proposals will stay effective. The purpose of such negotiations will be to address questions and identify issues as the parties move towards the execution of a final contract or contracts.

8.3. RFP Communications

Unauthorized contact regarding this RFP with employees or officials of the City of Pittsburgh other than the RFP Coordinator named in the header section of this solicitation may result in disqualification from this procurement process.

Neither Respondent(s) nor any person acting on Respondent(s)’s behalf shall attempt to influence the outcome of the award by the offer, presentation or promise of gratuities, favors, or anything of value to any appointed or elected official or employee of the City of Pittsburgh, their families or staff members.

All inquiries regarding the solicitation are to be directed to the designated RFP Coordinator. Outside of pertinent RFP questions directed to the City of Pittsburgh as specified above, any other attempts to contact any City of Pittsburgh personnel regarding this RFP, without prior approval by the RFP

Coordinator will be considered grounds for dismissal and immediate disqualification from the RFP process. This includes, but is not limited to, all verbal, voice, text, e-mail, and social media (e.g. –

LinkedIn) contact.

Please note the following:

A. The City shall not be responsible for nor bound by any oral instructions, interpretations or explanations issued by the City or its representatives.

B. Each proposer shall assume the risk of the method of dispatching any communication or proposal. •The RFP Coordinator must receive all written comments, including questions and requests for clarification, no later than the Deadline for Submission Questions listed in the tentative project schedule.

C. The City reserves the right to determine, at its sole discretion, the appropriate and adequate responses to written comments, questions, and requests for clarification. The City’s official responses and other official communications pursuant to this RFP shall constitute an addendum of this RFP.

D. The City will publish all official responses and communications pursuant to this RFP to the City of

Pittsburgh procurement website. It is the responsibility of each proposer to check the site and incorporate all addenda into their response.

E. All addenda for this RFP will be distributed via the City of Pittsburgh procurement website at procurement.pittsburghpa.gov/beacon/opportunities

F. Only the City’s official, written responses and communications shall be considered binding with regard to this RFP.

8.4. Addenda/Clarifications

Should discrepancies or omissions be found in this RFP or should there be a need to clarify this RFP, questions or comments regarding this RFP must be put in writing and received by the RFP Coordinator within the Question and Answer tab.

8.5. Withdrawal of Proposals

A proposer may withdraw its proposal at any time before the expiration of the time for submission of proposals as provided in this RFP by delivering a written request for withdrawal signed by, or on behalf of, the proposer.

8.6. Public Record

Respondent, by submittal of a proposal, acknowledges that all proposals may be considered public information in accordance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Right to Know laws. Subject to award of this RFP, all or part of any submittal may be released to any person or firm who may request it.

Therefore, proposers shall specify in their proposal response if any portion of their submittal should be treated as proprietary and not releasable as public information. Proposers should be aware that all such requests may be subject to legal review and challenge.

Any information considered proprietary should be indicated as such or not included in the response.

8.7. Non-Conforming Proposal

A proposal shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the provisions of these RFP instructions and specifications. Any alteration, omission, addition, variance, or limitation of, from or to a proposal may be sufficient grounds for non-acceptance of the proposal, at the sole discretion of the City.

8.8. Disqualification

Factors such as, but not limited to, any of the following may be considered just cause to disqualify a proposal without further consideration:

A. Evidence of collusion, directly or indirectly, among proposers in regard to the amount, terms or conditions of this proposal;

B. Any attempt to improperly influence any member of the evaluation team;

C. Existence of any lawsuit, unresolved contractual claim, or dispute between the proposer and the

City; •Evidence of incorrect information submitted as part of the proposal;

D. Evidence of proposer’s inability to successfully complete the responsibilities and obligation of the proposal; and

E. Proposer’s default under any previous agreement with the City, which results in termination of the agreement.

8.9. Restrictions on Gifts & Activities

The City of Pittsburgh Ethics Code and Chapter 197 of the City Code (Code of Conduct) was established to promote public confidence in the proper operation of our local government. These resources outline the requirements for disclosure of interests and restricted activities as related to public procurement processes. Proposers are responsible to determine the applicability of these requirements to their activities and to comply with its requirements.

8.10. Rights of the City of Pittsburgh

This RFP does not commit the City to enter into a contract, nor does it obligate the City to pay for any costs incurred in preparation and submission of proposals or in anticipation of a contract.

The City reserves the right to:

A. Reject any and all proposals;

B. Issue subsequent Requests for Proposals;

C. Cancel this RFP with or without issuing another RFP;

D. Remedy technical errors in the Request for Proposals process;

E. Approve or disapprove the use of particular sub-consultants;

F. Make an award without further discussion of the submittal with the proposer (therefore, the proposal should be submitted initially on the most favorable terms that the firm or individual might propose);

G. Meet with select proposers at any time to gather additional information;

H. Make adjustments to the scope of services at any time if deemed by the Office of Management and Budget to be in the best interest of the City;

I. Accept other than the lowest offer.

J. Waive any informality, defect, non-responsiveness, or deviation from this RFP that is not material to the Respondent’s proposal;

K. Reject the proposal of any Respondent who, in the City’s sole judgment, has been delinquent or unfaithful in the performance of any contract with the City;

L. Reject the proposal of any Respondent who, in the City’s sole judgment, is financially or technically incapable of performing in accordance with this RFP;

M. Negotiate with any, all, or none of the Offerors and to enter into an agreement with another

Offeror in the event that the originally selected finalist defaults or fails to execute an agreement with the City.

N. Award a contract to the firm(s) that presents the best qualifications and whose proposal best accomplishes the desired results; and/or

O. Enter into an agreement with another proposer in the event the originally selected proposer defaults or fails to execute an agreement with the City.

P. Require a performance bond and/or other “failure to deliver” agreement by the awardee at time of contracting.

8.11. Ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity for Persons Previously Convicted

CONSULTANT shall comply with Pittsburgh Code Section 161.16A.

9. Miscellaneous Requirements

9.1. Acknowledgements

A. Conflict of Interest- By submission of a proposal to this solicitation, Respondent agrees that it presently has no interest and shall not have any interest, direct or indirect, which would conflict in any manner with the performance of the services required under this RFP.

B. Code of Ethics- By submission of a proposal to this solicitation, Respondent agrees to abide by the Code of Ethics of The City of Pittsburgh. The full Ethics Handbook can be found here:http://pittsburghpa.gov/humanresources/files/policies/10_Ethics_Handbook.pdf

C. Fair Trade Certification- By responding to this solicitation, the Respondent certifies that no attempt has been made, or will be made, by the Respondent to induce any other person or firm to submit or not to submit a submission for the purpose of restricting competition.

D. Non-Disclosure- By responding to this solicitation, the Respondent acknowledges they may be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement during the contracting process if they are the successful respondent.

E. Debarment - This solicitation is also subject to Section 161.22 of the City of Pittsburgh Code related to debarment from bidding on and participating in City contracts.

F. Financial Interest- No proposal shall be accepted from, or contract awarded to, any individual or firm in which any City employee, director, or official has a direct or indirect financial interest in violation of applicable City and State ethics rules. Entities that are legally related to each other or to a common entity which seek to submit separate and competing proposals must disclose the nature of their relatedness.

G. Full Fee Disclosure- Pursuant to Section 161.36 of the Pittsburgh City Code, a Respondent must include a disclosure of any finder’s fees, fee splitting, firm affiliation or relationship with any broker-dealer, payments to consultants, lobbyists, or commissioned representatives or other contractual arrangements of the firm that could present a real or perceived conflict of interest.

http://here:http:/pittsburghpa.gov/humanresources/files/policies/10_Ethics_Handbook.pdf

10. Vendor Questionnaire

10.1. Response to Scope Proposal

Please upload your Response to Scope detailed in Proposal Format Requirements

10.2. Cost Proposal

Please upload your Cost Proposal detailed in Proposal Format Requirements

10.3. Equal Opportunity Review Commission (EORC) Participation Form * Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• MWDBEVOSB_Commitment_Forms.pdf

*Response required

10.4. Do you agree with the City's Terms and Conditions?*

☐ Yes

☐ No

*Response required

10.5. Vendor Contact Sheet*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Blank_Vendor_Contact_Sheet.pdf

*Response required

10.6. Vendor Registration Form*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• Blank_Vendor_Registration_F...

*Response required

10.7. W-9*

Please download the below documents, complete, and upload.

• W9.pdf

*Response required

10.8. Employer Identification Number (EIN)*

Please provide your organizations EIN below.

*Response required

10.9. Authorized Signatory*

Provide the name, title, & email address of the authorized signatory for your company (for details on who is considered an authorized signatory, please look at our terms & conditions section) https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/pittsburghpa/projects/65397?section=573630 https://secure.procurenow.com/portal/pittsburghpa/projects/65397?section=573630 https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/12982/9a4ac24b-77d1-4ce6-9229-0c88f9ac5006_MWDBEVOSB_Commitment_Forms.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIARC2J5PZDCCU66EXN%2F20240209%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240209T164004Z&X-Amz-Expires=72000&X-Amz-Signature=f316f6fca2e538a50de08a7d2a15dc20d22beaf8268a5633e9b866a40a566e95&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22MWDBEVOSB_Commitment_Forms.pdf%22&x-id=GetObject https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/12982/e4d05cd1-c02e-435b-bc70-af5ad0124ab0_Blank_Vendor_Contact_Sheet.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIARC2J5PZDCCU66EXN%2F20240209%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240209T164004Z&X-Amz-Expires=72000&X-Amz-Signature=6721b313c328ead4b84e78d0bfb8711715e3207359a63ee2ee81cdd6b1d91d88&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22Blank_Vendor_Contact_Sheet.pdf%22&x-id=GetObject https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/12982/5850bbcb-e558-4521-bf07-f695e7a7341d_Blank_Vendor_Registration_Form.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIARC2J5PZDCCU66EXN%2F20240209%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240209T164004Z&X-Amz-Expires=72000&X-Amz-Signature=e123643ff901f1a50080e8f68e3f328dd12ba545195a17426f459043aa128011&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22Blank_Vendor_Registration_Form.pdf%22&x-id=GetObject https://government-project.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/12982/42dfa6ab-19f8-42d0-9cc2-395cceebdcbc_W9.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=AKIARC2J5PZDCCU66EXN%2F20240209%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240209T164004Z&X-Amz-Expires=72000&X-Amz-Signature=be8fdf254878d95fb9bf3828bb90e39297b4afdb7bc9abdaaff3a964b7637c8d&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22W9.pdf%22&x-id=GetObject

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10.10. IRS 501(c)3 Nonprofit Designation*

Please provide a copy of the IRS Recognition of Exemption letter.

*Response required

10.11. Sustainable Funding*

Please provide documentation of sustainable funding through the duration of the contract (18 months).

To meet this requirement, please provide documentation that evidences you have funding to sustain your current financial counseling program operations for the contract period (18 months). You can provide various documents to evidence this, including but not limited to 1. Your most recent audited financial statements, 2. Current fiscal year budget, or 3. Documentation of contracts, leases, or agreements related to income streams.

*Response required